Time to make your marketing strategy sizzle this summer. With these summer marketing ideas, stand out from the crowd to offset the slow sales month and attract new audiences.
1. Host A Summer Client Appreciation Event
As the weather gets warmer, show your customers appreciation with a celebration. Organize a customer appreciation event to increase client retention.
Summer Customer Appreciation Event Ideas
- Arrange an ice cream social.
- Host a wine, beer, or champagne tasting.
- Organize a viewing party for a sporting event.
2. Promote Your Brand To Tourists
75% of Americans plan to travel domestically for their summer vacations. Increase foot traffic by marketing your brand to travelers.
3 Ways To Market To Tourists:
- Place business flyers in local welcome centers.
- Partner with tourism companies to get your business featured in the tour.
- Create a downloadable tourist guide that includes your business.
Fargo Walking Tours showcases local businesses in the tour.
3. Create Limited-Edition Summer Products
Incorporate a seasonal product to create excitement around your brand’s products.
In the summer, Starbucks introduces limited-edition beverages like the Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers.
4. Organize A Sidewalk Sale
A sidewalk sale involves placing discounted merchandise outside the storefront to catch the eye of potential buyers.
6 out of every 7 adults take walks in the summer months. Increase sales by strategically placing your products at the forefront of your potential customers’ walks.
5. Introduce A Summer Contest
Run a social media contest to increase engagement and attract new leads.
6. Participate In Local Fairs
Set up a stand at your local festival to generate foot traffic for your brand.
7. Display Summer End Caps
End Cap
Show off your summer products by placing products on end caps. End cap displays provide optimal visibility for your products.
8. Launch A Summer Subscription
Build a subscription package to send out to customers during the summer months. Develop monthly recurring revenue (MRR) for your brand and increase customer loyalty with a summer subscription package.
9. Create 4th Of July Themed Offers
84% of Americans celebrate the 4th of July. Utilize 4th of July offers to increase sales and brand visibility during this holiday season.
10. Announce A Social Media Challenge
July is National Anti-Boredom Month. Build a social media challenge around this occasion to increase follower engagement.
11. Hand Out Grill-Themed Samples
Give grill-themed samples to endorse National Grilling Month. Use samples to expand shoppers’ knowledge of your products.
Grill-Themed Sample Ideas:
- Convenience stores: Distribute bite-sized pieces of meat for consumers to try.
- Appliance companies: Giveaway miniature spatulas.
- Clothing shops: Pass out laptop food stickers to paying customers.
- Other businesses: Hand out a “Grilling Us” card highlighting FAQs.
12. Publish UV Safety Tips
For UV Safety Awareness Month, share a safety blog post. Differentiate your brand from its competitors with an informative article and build trusting relationships.
13. Promote A Christmas In July Sale
Keep the Christmas spirit alive all year with a Christmas in July sale. Advertise a Christmas in July sale to catch those early bird shoppers and increase sales.
14. Survey Your Employees
July 13th is Gruntled Workers Day. Gain feedback from employees to promote a positive work environment and improve marketing operations.
15. Host An Ice Cream Social
Plan an ice cream social for National Ice Cream Day on the 3rd Sunday in July. Boost customer and employee loyalty by celebrating the employees and customers that help run your business.
16. Send Out An Email Survey To Customers
On the 3rd Thursday in July, celebrate Get To Know Customers Day with a customer satisfaction email survey. Gather data and feedback from clients to improve your marketing efforts.
17. Promote A Senior Citizen Discount
Create a senior citizen discount for Senior Citizen Day on August 21st. Offer an exclusive deal for seniors to attract new customers and diversify your target audience.
18. Promote Black-Owned Businesses
Share a blog post on black-owned businesses in your industry for Black Business Month. Support and foster a diverse audience to drive traffic to your website and establish your brand’s identity.
19. Interview Women In Your Industry
August 26th is Women’s Equality Day. There are 114% more women entrepreneurs in the US now than there were 20 years ago.
Highlight the inclusivity of your company to build your brand’s reputation.
20. Build A Family-Focused Email Campaign
For businesses that market to parents, personalize your emails to promote Family Fun Month. Create a family-orientated email campaign to reach your target audience with valuable content directly.
Family-Focused Email Campaign Ideas
- Share a list of local family attractions.
- Notify clients of your family-friendly event.
- Send educational resources to keep kids occupied during the summer.
21. Post A Roundup Of Productivity Tools
The first week of August is dedicated to Simplify Your Life Week. Simplify the lives of your social media followers by sharing a list of productivity tools in your industry.
Post your roundup on social media to increase visibility to potential customers. Include your business in this list to build brand awareness.
22. Share Industry Authors
Does your audience enjoy a good book? August 9th is National Book Lover’s Day.
Recommend the best books from your industry’s leaders to provide your readers with valuable content and build a credible relationship. You can talk about the benefits of reading and encourage your customers to get out there and read a book!
23. Donate To Humanitarian Organizations
August 19th is World Humanitarian Day. Donate a percentage of your proceeds to a local humanitarian organization on this day.
71% of consumers prefer buying from companies that align with their values. Share proceeds with humanitarian initiatives to improve your brand’s value.
24. Publish Downloadable Learning Resources
Back-to-school season is in full swing during September. Publish a series of learning resources to support students while increasing brand awareness.
25. Organize A Labor Day Sale
Labor Day commemorates the achievements of American laborers. Celebrate workers’ successes with a discount to drive sales traffic.
26. Collaborate With A Latinx Influencer
For Hispanic Heritage Month, partner with a Latinx influencer in your industry.
Post content highlighting your company’s values to encourage consumers to purchase from an inclusive company.
27. Share Self-Improvement Products
Incorporate Self-Improvement Month into your summer marketing efforts. Publish an article on self-improvement products or services to create value for your readers.
Include your product or service within this listicle piece to increase brand awareness.
28. Distribute Products That Raise Awareness
Create branded items that highlight Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Share a percentage of proceeds with local cancer societies.
Integrate societal issues into your merchandise to grow your brand’s organic reach.
Take a page out of KISS’s book— they donate 10% of their proceeds from these limited-edition lashes to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You could do the same with your products and donate to a charity supporting childhood cancer research.
29. Publicize Food Safety Best Practices
For Food Safety Month, write an article on food safety to increase your brand’s exposure on search engine results pages. Content marketing attracts new customers to your website.
30. Decorate A Monumental Storefront
Support Patriot’s Day on September 11 with a decorative storefront. Incorporate curbside designs – flags, flowers, or an embroidered bench – to create an inviting store appeal.
31. Promote Your Fall Collection
September 23rd is the first day of fall. Launch your fall collection to generate buzz around your new products.
Q3 Marketing Ideas
32. Update Your Q&A Section
Change your Q&A section to reflect Q3. Keep consumers informed about your business’s current conditions with an updated Q3 Q&A section.
Questions To Answer In Your Q&A Section
- What are your summer hours?
- Do you have any summer discounts?
- Does your company have any new products or services?
33. Audit Your Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) improves website traffic by helping sites rank higher on results pages. Use Q3 to retarget your digital marketing efforts, as online traffic is slower.
Search engine optimization increases website traffic and organic discovery.
34. Summer-ize Your Socials
Social sharing increases by at least 26% in the summer months. Keep up with the summer social media trends to stay at the forefront of your audience’s feed.
35. Update Yelp & Google For Your Business
60% of people considering a summer trip conduct research beforehand. Revise your Yelp and Google business profiles to ensure travelers are viewing accurate information.
Yelp and Google profiles put your information in front of potential customers to increase visibility.
36. Offer Product Bundles
A product bundle includes a mix of best and low-selling items. Group items together to increase your average order value.
37. Update Your Email Calls To Action
Get creative with your email CTAs to stand out in a cluttered inbox. Emails with just one call to action increased clicks by 371%.
Q3 Call To Action Ideas
- Get Cookin’
- Dive In
- Shop This Summer Offer
- Get Fresh
- Splash Into Savings
